Oakland Teachers Union Will Strike Thursday

Oakland teachers officially said they will begin their strike Thursday.

At a news conference Saturday, Oakland Education Association president Keith Brown said “enough is enough.” The teachers union is demanding a 12 percent raise over the next three years, but the school district said it cannot afford to pay more than 5 percent.

“The money is there. It’s a matter of the district’s priorities,” said Brown.

The teachers union wanted to give parents a 48-hour notice before going on strike, and since Monday is a holiday, the earliest they could give a heads up would be Tuesday.

Mayor Libby Schaaf is urging the school district and its teachers to come to some agreement, but in a statement Friday also said “I stand with Oakland teachers who deserve a decent living wage and working conditions.”

The Oakland Unified School District said that is not the case and it’s already looking to cut more than $21 million to fund teacher raises.

On Friday, the district got a report from a neutral state finder who looke dinto the finances and the teachers’ concerns, and came up with suggestions for them to come to an agreement.

“I have reviewed it in depth, and overall, we are pleased with the recommendation and find it to be a solid foundation for returning to the bargaining table,” Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said.

But the district still seems to be preparing for a teacher’s strike, posting a listing online for “emergency temporary teachers” offering $300 a day.

Johnson-Trammell said the teachers strikes still might happen before the community can get a look at that fact-finding report.

This post was originally posted at http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Oakland-Teachers-Union-Makes-Announcement-About-Potential-Strike-505942921.html.